1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorized electric toothbrush in a display package.
2. Background Art
Use of motorized electric toothbrushes used as an aid in cleansing teeth is well known. Typically these toothbrushes employ rotating, reciprocating, or oscillating motion, or a combination thereof, to effectuate the cleaning process. A feature commonly found on these toothbrushes is an on/off switch located on or near the handle portion of the toothbrush. The primary feature of such a switch is that it remains either in the “on” position or the “off” position until the user manually changes it.
A typical on/off switch, such as described above, provides the user with a limited number of choices. The toothbrush motor can be engaged prior to the brush head being placed in the mouth, or the user can wait until the brush head is placed within the mouth before engaging the motor. Both of these choices may have undesirable consequences. When the user engages the motor prior to placing the brush head in the mouth, the rapid movement of brush head may cause the toothpaste to be shaken off the bristles. Conversely, if the user waits until the brush head is inside the mouth, and in particular in contact with the teeth, it may be difficult to engage the switch, depending on its position relative to the user's hand.
Another feature characteristic of some motorized electric toothbrushes is a package that allows a consumer to observe the operation of the toothbrush while it is still in the package. One limitation of these designs is that the toothbrush may be configured such that the consumer operates the toothbrush in the package using one activation mode, then operates the toothbrush during normal use in another activation mode. Specifically, the toothbrush may have two switches, the first configured for activation in the package, and the second configured for activation during normal use. Alternatively, the toothbrush may have a single, multi-function switch that has one activation mode in the package, and another activation mode for normal use. With either of these designs, the consumer cannot activate the toothbrush in the package as it will be activated in use. Thus, the consumer is given only a simulation of how the toothbrush operates during normal use.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved motorized electric toothbrush that overcomes the above referenced shortcomings of prior art toothbrushes, by providing a toothbrush with an automatic mode of operation that can be activated through a display package.